


Death of the League and Rebirth of Wonder Woman

by Jasontodd908



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, F/M, Family, Father and daughter, Healing, Justice, Love, Resistance, Romance, Sacrifice, Second Chances, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:40:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23644003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jasontodd908/pseuds/Jasontodd908
Summary: When Superman killed Lex Luthor, most of his friends fell into line. Most. Not all. One man who has the courage to do what needs to be done does the hardest thing he's ever had to do, and in doing so helps create a world in which heroes don't decay and the corrupted images of the past can be restored. His path is filled with pain and hardship, but love, faith and family accompany him every step as well. Witness the fall of heroes, and the birth of new ones!
Relationships: Diana & Hippolyta (Wonder Woman), Diana (Wonder Woman)/The Question, Hippolyta and the Question, Question/Cheetah, The Amazons & Diana (Wonder Woman), The Amazons and OC
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**_(This takes place in an alternate Justice Lords Universe, with the Question and Diana being “together”. The quotation marks will make more sense later)_ **

**_Washington D.C, United States of America_ **

The doors blew inward from the force of one of the man of steel’s punches, sending two secret service agents flying into the opposing wall. “You’re protecting him? A criminal?” he asks, venom lacing through his voice as two more guards turn the corner of a stairwell and begin to fire their sidearms at the Kryptonian. As usual, it doesn’t do any good, but before Superman can turn his attention on them they are knocked out by two figures coming up behind them.

The two slump to the ground, unconscious as the Question and Wonder Woman enter the hall. “The West Wing is clear. J’onn and Hawkgirl are keeping the national guard at bay in the east wing” Diana says, the trepidation and hesitance about what they were doing clearly registering on her face. “Good. Time for me to find Luthor then” he says, looking towards the entrance for the west wing and rocketing towards it. Diana makes to follow before being stopped, her husband’s hand wrapping about her upper arm.

“Diana, what the hell are we doing?” Vic Sage asks quietly, trying to keep his voice down but knowing that Superman could still hear him if he was listening. ‘Here’s hoping he’s too preoccupied with Luthor’ he thinks, watching his wife’s face.

“I...I don't know. But now is not the time…” she begins before being interrupted. “Now is the exact right time Diana. We’re fighting the U.S government. Knocking U.S Marines around like they’re toy soldiers. We’ve practically invaded Washington D.C”.

Diana closes her eyes and sighs, not liking at all how the situation sounds when phrased in such a way. “I...the Flash is dead Vic. And Lex Luthor murdered him. In cold blood. Does that mean nothing to you?” she asks, using her anger to mask just how unsure she was about everything that was going on.  
  
“It means everything to me Diana and you know it” the masked superhero says, visibly slumping. Wally had been one of his best friends. “But that doesn’t give us an excuse to do whatever we want. Especially not this. We need to do this the right way, and smashing an infantry division apart isn’t the right way” he says, trying to get his wife to see that what they were doing was wrong.

A large explosion from down the hall distracts both of them, and they hurry into the west wing where their friend had disappeared only moments before. “What the hell happened?” Vic asks, losing a bit of his composure at seeing so many bodies lying on the ground. All of them were secret service agents, and most of them were dead, horribly scarred and mutilated, some even missing limbs.

“Hera help us” Diana whispers, taking in the scene in front of her, her mind already whispering of what could have happened. Question has no illusions, as he already knows in his heart of hearts what happened. “Vic” Diana says, reaching out for her husband, feeling a surprising wellspring of fear bubbling up within her. Vic remains silent, though he does wrap his arms about his wife, pulling her closer to him. “We have to stop him” he whispers into her ear, wanting and needing his wife’s agreement. 

She doesn’t respond, blankly looking over his shoulder at the massacre that had been unleashed by their best friend. “Diana? Did you he….” Vic begins to say before being interrupted by another crash, this time from within the famed oval office. “We need to go!” he shouts, finally snapping Wonder Woman out of her shocked state and allowing the woman to follow him.

He’s running down the halls, passing all sorts of famed historical relics from their nation’s past, though he doesn’t pay attention to any of them. His eyes are locked on the door just down the hall, leading to the oval office. 

It was already jarred open, resembling almost a gaping wound that revealed the inner parts of the body to all those who were around to see. He can already see that the office, the symbol of this nation’s power and prestige, was destroyed, with the famed desk shattered and splintered in two large pieces across the floor. What frightened the Question the most however, was the blood spatter that was spread across the back wall.

He rushes into the room, followed instantly by Diana who was hot on his heels the entire time. What he sees as he turns the corner is something that he knows will haunt him the rest of his life. His first instinct is to turn around, to keep Diana in the hall, but it’s too late and her gasp of shock and the look of horror on her face add to the overall misery.

Superman was standing in the far corner of the room, his arm going right through the corpse of Lex Luthor, having punched his way through the front of the president’s ribcage to exit out of the man’s back. Lex’s face was frozen, his surprised expression still plastered onto his face.

“Ohh my god” Vic whispers in shock, looking on the scene. Superman turns, letting the body slide off of his gore streaked arm and landing on the floor. His face was as hard and unyielding as stone as he walked towards his two team members. “Diana. Question. Call in the rest of the team. We all need to have a little chat” he says, a hard edge to his voice that cuts to the very center of Vic’s soul.

‘We’ve lost him’ the masked conspiracy theorist thinks, fearfully stepping away and clearing a path for his friend. Diana is rendered even more speechless, her eyes going back towards Luthor’s body and fixating on the corpse. Vic brings up his communicator, paging the rest of the team urgently.

“Justice League. We have a situation. Superman has murdered Lex Luthor. I repeat, Superman has murdered Lex Luthor. Meet us all on the south lawn” he says, turning off the communicator as soon as he was done, not having time to deal with the confusion of the other members of their team at this moment. 

As he looked towards his almost catatonic wife he realized that he had bigger problems to deal with. He moves over towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her body before pulling the woman into him. “It’s going to be alright Diana. I…”

For once he didn’t know what he could say to make it better, and he felt like he was lying to his wife. 

She looks up at him, her hands grasping his jacket and her blue eyes looking up at him. He’s shocked at the change he’s seeing, and slowly, very slowly, Diana smiles. “That bastard finally got what he deserved” she says, tears now springing from her eyes and travelling down her cheeks. Wally’s death had hit them hard, and the Amazon was no exception. 

‘This...this isn’t right’ Vic thinks, his hands grasping the woman’s upper arms, as if hoping to to bring the woman back to normal by a simple touch. “Diana, this...this isn’t you sweetie. This isn’t right. We have to stop Superman before he does anything else” he says.

Diana shakes her head, looking away and smirking at the body, though it quickly turns into a sneer. “He laughed Vic” she says simply, continuing to look at the body. “He walked toward Wally with that gun, and he laughed. He laughed as Wally begged for his life. He laughed”.

“Who’s laughing now Luthor?” she asks rhetorically, snickering at her own morbid joke.

“Superman is finally doing what needs to be done. What I thought needed to be done from the very onset. Things are going to be different for the League Vic. We’re finally going to be making a real difference. I can feel it”.

Vic is silent, continuing to hold his wife and not really able to understand how he was feeling. ‘This is wrong’.

“Come on. We need to go talk to Clark. He’ll know what’s our next move is” the Amazon says excitedly, rushing from the room and towards the South Lawn, wanting to rendevouz with the rest of the League. The Question is left alone in the ruins of the oval office, alone with his thoughts. “She’s just confused. She’ll see reason. Diana is still hurting over Wally. We all are. We’ll come to our senses soon” he says to himself, walking towards the body of Lex Luthor and kneeling down by his head. 

The man’s eyes stared vacantly up at the ceiling, devoid of any life and still imprinted with the shock the man had undoubtedly experienced in his last moments of life. Vic hated the man, but he couldn’t bring himself to show it now. That hate was gone, replaced by an omnipresent feeling of dread that settled deep in the pit of his stomach. “You were scum Luthor” he says, reaching out and closing the man’s eyelids with his fingers. “But you didn’t deserve this”.

**_The South Lawn_ **

“This is General Flagstaff of the United States Army. Come out with your hands up and surrender!” a megaphone booms, the troops staying well back from the White House. Each soldier nervously gripped their rifle, their fingers on the trigger, ready to start firing at a moments notice.

“Are we really going to fight the Justice League?” a private asks, prompting his corporal to turn and nod towards him. “We ain’t fighting them. They’re fighting us. Invaded the White House. What are they gods who pick and choose how we run our country?” he asks, spitting as he leans against the barricade, his sight trained on the front entrance.

“Well, no but….it’s Luthor..” the private starts, being cut off abruptly by the corporal once more.

“But nothing. He was the elected president of the United States. I know, he was dirt, he was scum. He was still the president though goddammit. I get it, he killed the Flash. But we have laws Anderson. If you like them removing Luthor like they did because it was Luthor, don’t get pissed off when they decide to do it to someone else too, and over something smaller than murder. What if they don’t like the next guy’s tax plan? They gonna kill him too?”.

The private had to admit that it was a good point. He didn’t say anymore however, and instead focused again on his rifle, wanting to be sure to get off a few good shots before it was over. The whole world had watched Superman kill, not only Luthor but multiple Secret Service agents.

“I repeat, this is General Flagstaff. I am order…”.

“We heard you loud and clear general” Superman says, appearing almost out of nowhere as he hovers in midair above the shocked soldiers. A intake of breath is almost simultaneously heard up and down the line as the troops angle their rifles upward, ready to unleash a hail storm of lead upon the Kyrptonian. Superman just smiles, his eyes glowing red to signal the impending use of his heat vision. It comes too quickly to be avoided, and soon all the soldiers are disarmed, their rifles having been sawn in half by the beam of energy. 

“It disgusts me, that I had to do what you should’ve” the alien says, being joined by Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl, both of whom look very unsure of themselves as they watch the unprecedented confrontation.

Superman lowers himself to the ground, causing a few now unarmed soldiers in his immediate vicinity to back up in fear. “You’re supposed to protect the United States from all enemies foreign…” he starts, pausing before he looks back towards the White House. “And domestic. Yet here you are, or rather were, protecting Luthor” he says, angrily grabbing the corporal who, despite being caught in a death grip, continues to maintain eye contact with the alien. “Tell me, are you any better than him?”.

“We’re better than you” the corporal says, the breath being choked out of him. “We don’t just do whatever we want. We don’t have your powers to change anything in the world. But we believe in law and order. I guess, in the end” the soldier says shakily, beginning to smile. “We’re fighting for truth, justice and the American way” he says, causing the Man of Steel to frown and throw the soldier away, letting his back impact against a concrete barrier.

None of the other soldiers make a move, and even the megaphone wielding general is rendered speechless. “Luthor is dead” Superman says simply, restating a fact that everyone already knew. “Go home. You did such a poor job of protecting this country that I think it’s time someone else stepped up to bat. Go home, and nobody else gets hurt” he says, not noticing the curious look that is shared between J’onn and Shayera. 

All is quiet for a moment until the soldiers begin to retreat, falling back against the orders of their raging general who eventually gives up himself and falls back with the rest of the division. Superman smiles to himself, crossing his arms under his chest and turning to see Diana and Question making their way towards them. “Batman, are you there?” Clark asks into his communicator. “On my way. Superman...we need to talk”.

“We will be. But away from prying ears. This should be a League affair” he says, drawing a grunt of approval from the Gotham based vigilante. “See you on the Watchtower. Batman out”

“Superman!” Question shouts, running up to the group, Diana reaching them first. “We need to talk” he says, practically fuming. “Just had that conversation with Batman” Superman says with a smile. “Are you two the same person?” he asks with a chuckle.

“Jokes? You think this is a goddamn time for jokes?” the Question asks, startling the entire group. “Vic” Diana says gently, hoping to placate her husband. He just moves out of her grasp and continues to advance on the other man. “You murder a man. Threaten the United States military and think you can laugh?” he asks. He’s trying to keep his cool, to remain composed but he can’t help it. His anger was just overflowing.  
  
The smile drops from the Kyrptonian’s face and he glares at the faceless man. “I did what we all should’ve done a while ago. Wally would be alive today if I did that three months ago”.

Vic continues to advance, looking as if he was ready to throw a punch until he is stopped by Diana who holds him back. “That’s enough Question” she says, the anger clear on her face. Vic is shocked. ‘Superman just killed someone, and she’s mad at me?’

He looks around, hoping to see support from the other members of the League. If his own wife wouldn’t be backing him up, maybe J’onn would see reason, or Shayera? ‘Yeah, Shayera would understand. She was in the military herself’.

But all he receives from his two friends are turned heads, both looking away from his penetrating and convicting gaze. ‘They agree with him too’ he thinks, feeling a sense of hopelessness and despair. Diana’s grip suddenly becomes soft and gentle, and her voice breaks into his thoughts. “Question...we should all speak privately” she says. 

Vic jerks out of her grasp, infuriated at how quickly Diana seemed to have abandoned her moral code. The action upsets her, and the turmoil is clearly registered on her face. Vic turns away, wanting to move off further but is stopped by the Amazon reaching for his hand. He bypasses this by placing both of his hands in his pockets and looking away, pointedly ignoring his wife. ‘Diana should already be stopping this. Why isn’t she stopping this? What’s wrong with her?’

“Vic” Diana pleads, still reaching for her now very aloof husband who avoids her touch. “Batman, are you at the Watchtower?” Superman asks into the communicator. “Affirmative”. 

It’s all the man needs to hear before he turns to J’onn. “Beam us up” he orders, almost imperiously. Apparently, the changes to their formerly incorruptible friend were coming quicker and quicker now that he had apparently gotten away with murder. 

‘Batman’ Vic thinks excitedly. ‘Batman has a plan. He has too. We’ll take him down, with or without the League’ he thinks, knowing that whatever they had built as a pseudo family was gone. His last thought as his particles were dematerialized for transport was ‘What’s a family without its figurehead?’

**_Justice League Watchtower_ **

The distress was palpable amongst the founding members of the League, all seated around the table. Each was preoccupied with their own thoughts about what had happened, and none looked more distressed than the Question, who fiddled nervously with his tie and kept taking his hat off and putting it back on.

Wonder Woman kept her focus on him, trying to gauge what was going on with her husband and what he was thinking. ‘You know what he’s thinking’ her mind whispers. ‘You betrayed him. That’s what he’s thinking’. The thought makes her almost sick to her stomach, how she had stopped Vic from confronting Superman. ‘He must think I’m a monster’ she adds, remembering how downright gleeful she must have appeared at Luthor’s death. ‘I still feel that way’ she reminds herself, knowing that the world was better off without the bald man. ‘He killed Wally. He was much too far gone for forgiveness’ she further reminds herself, not being able to help it as her eyes settle on her husband.

‘I would feel much better about all of this if only Vic agreed’ she thinks, wishing to move over and embrace her husband. Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Superman clearing his throat, standing at the foot of the table. “I think we all need to have a little chat”.

“You’re damn right we do” Vic says under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest in anger. He keeps looking over towards Batman, almost as if he was expecting something from the man. Batman just looks at Superman, his eyes squinted in concentration, hanging on every word.

Superman ignores the Question and moves on, looking each one of his friends in the face as he begins to speak. “It’s time we did something real. Something lasting” he begins. “When Wally was killed, something became abundantly clear to me. We can’t even protect ourselves with the handcuffs and restraints we’ve placed on ourselves. Luthor was a cancer, which spread through everything and everyone. He needed to be removed. Maybe if I’d done it a long time ago...no. There is no maybe. If I had killed Luthor as soon as I knew what he was, Wally would be here today” Superman says, watching as every member of the League either looks away or nods sadly.

“And if he was here he’d want you to answer for your crimes” Question finally says, standing and looking at each and every one of his friends, tired of waiting. “He wouldn’t tolerate this. Murder? You killed a man Clark. You have to turn yourself in” Question says, hoping to make the others see reason. “To who Vic?” Superman asks, dropping the pretense of alter egos and secret identities. “Luthor’s lackies? The same people he put in power? Or maybe I should be committed to Arkham where I can break out every few months and do what I want” Superman asks, that last part being directed at Batman. The caped crusader looks away, staring into the empty vastness of space.

Question turns to the man, ignoring Superman’s diatribe for a moment and looking at Batman. “Bruce” he says, trying to draw the man’s attention to him even further, as if it wasn’t already clear enough that the faceless conspiracy theorist was trying to get his friend’s attention. “Bruce, think about what your parents would want” he says, wanting to elicit an emotional reaction from the man by mentioning his reason for putting on the cowl.

The entire room is silent as Batman violently stands, walking towards the glass of the observation deck. All eyes are on him, and Vic feels that he has reached the man. ‘With his help, we can do this. Before it gets out of hand’ he thinks, praying to God that they’d be able to take Superman down. ‘And maybe the rest of the League’ he adds mentally, casting a sidelong glance at his wife. 

“My parents would have wanted to be parents for a while longer” Batman says, his voice a neutral monotone. Question is confused by the tone of voice, and the man’s words but keeps quiet, so sure of Batman that he’d see this through. “But they didn’t get to. They were gunned down by some thug in an alley when I was eight years old. I wonder how my life would have been if someone had taken control. If someone had done something beforehand” he says, causing the Question’s heart to drop in his chest. ‘Ohh no. Not him too’.

“I agree with Superman. It’s time we changed how we do things. It’s time we actually try and make a difference” he finishes, turning back towards the rest of the League. He receives a smile of gratitude from Superman. “Thank you Bruce. From the bottom of my heart, thank you”.

Batman just nods, moving back towards the table and sitting down. Hawkgirl and J’onn remain silent, but both seem to be on board as well judging from the looks on their faces. Vic just sits in his chair, feeling drained and empty at how this was turning out. “We need to get down to business quickly” Superman says, bringing the meeting back to order, an order under him. “With Luthor gone the United States is rudderless. We need to seize control. Set up an interim government for the time being. I need a volunteer to go to congress and make them aware of this….change” he says, careful, as all dictators are, to phrase his words a certain way.

“I’ll go” Diana says, volunteering for the job. “I am the Themysciran ambassador. I already have a legally outlined role with the government” she says. Superman nods, giving his assent immediately. “That goes for all world governments then Diana. We have to seize complete control or it won’t matter. What does stopping street crime in Gotham mean if we allow genocides overseas to continue. I will demand that the U.N convene, and you will address them as well” Superman adds, issuing orders easily. 

“It will be done Clark”.

“Hawkgirl, you’re going to the Pentagon. Just make sure they behave. I don’t want anyone trying anything that will endanger the world. J’onn, you’re going to Washington. I want you to spy on Argus and the other shadowy organizations our former government allowed to grow for far too long. I want them gone by the end of the week. Do whatever you need to do” he says, the ominous tone of his last command hanging in the air far too long. The severity is not lost on the Martian who nods his assent. “Very well”.

“I’ll head back to Gotham. Arkham needs to be secured and it needs me to do it” Batman says simply. “Good. I have plans for how we can do that Bruce. Don’t worry. Question…” Superman starts, turning to the masked conspiracy theorist. “I want you to go to congress with Diana. Make sure the message gets out in a way that ev…”.

The Kryptonian’s speech is stopped by the sound of Vic’s chair being pushed back, scraping against the tiled floor. The man stands and reaches into his pocket, grasping his communicator and throwing it onto the table. “I’m not your puppet” he says simply, turning and walking away, heading towards the transporter to beam out of the tower. Diana starts to move, but quickly looks toward Superman, wanting his permission. She knew how precarious things were, and she knew that following the man of steel’s orders was the only way to ensure that everything went the right way, but she wanted a chance to convince her husband.

Superman just nods, a frown on his face at losing the support of one of his friends. He was a pragmatist however, and he knew that if he had to lose one of the Leaguers, it was better to lose the Question than the others. ‘Still, the hold he has on Diana isn’t good’ he thinks, knowing he’d cross that bridge when he got to it. 

Diana rushes out of the room, her footfalls audible as she called after the man. “Vic, wait!” she calls, leaving the rest of the League alone, continuing to plot how they could best seize and keep control. ‘Temporary. Just temporary’ Superman thinks to himself.

  
  


**_Outside in the Hallway_ **

“Vic! Please wait” Diana shouts once more, not drawing any reaction from her husband who keeps moving towards the transponder. She catches up to him easily enough and stops him, once again placing her hand on his arm. “Talk to me. Please” she says, not moving from her spot. 

“What do you want me to say?” he asks, turning back towards the woman and pointing towards the meeting room’s closed doors. “Superman just killed Luthor, basically said he was going to take over world governance and then ordered you to deliver the news to which you responded like a good little lapdog. So, tell me Diana, what do you want me to say?”

“It’s not like that!” Diana retorts angrily, bringing her hand up to her face, trying to rein in her own anger. “Vic, we need to do this. You of all people need to see how the world is falling apart. How bad is it in the world that Lex Luthor of all people became president of the United States? Countries are at war, people are starving and dying. What do you want us to do? Keep putting out the small fires while an inferno rages around us?” she asks, exasperated by her husband’s obstinance. She loved his steadfastness, his consistency. Now though? She wanted him to bend. If only a little. 

“I hate the way the world is too Diana. Don’t you think I want better for Charlie and Seppy? A world where they don’t have to be afraid when they walk out of the house in the morning? Of course I do. I want it more than anything else, but you know what? I’m not willing to take away their freedom either. The world needs to be free to act Diana. To make their own choices. They don’t need super powered beings thinking they’re gods and telling them what to do” he says, hoping that this would be the turning point for his wife.

In a way, both were reaching out to the other, begging them to join the other. 

Diana is quiet and it takes a moment but she looks up. “I want them to be free too Vic. But I’d rather them be alive than free. We have to help Superman. Please” she says, reaching her hand out once again, wanting him to take it. “I can’t do this without you” she adds, giving voice to her most fearful thoughts. 

Vic looks at the hand, indicated by the slight tilt of his head, but his hands remain in his coat pocket. He takes a bit of satisfaction in not taking it, paying her back for not being at all on his side throughout this coup. And he truly considered it a coup, a coup carried out by overwhelming force. ‘A military coup would’ve been more honest at the very least’.

Diana notices Vic’s unwillingness to join her in this venture and her hand slowly drops to her side, leaving the both of them to stand there awkwardly. “You’re really leaving the League?” she asks, though her heart already knows the answer.

“There is no more League” Vic says simply, his words carrying a hard glint that slices through the Amazon as if they were steel. “That’s not true. You’ll see it soon Vic. This will be better for the world. Trust me” she says, hiding her hurt and trying to usher warmth in between the two by smiling at him.

He remains silent, his wish being to do exactly that and trust the woman once more. He can’t. He knew what power did to people, and the power wielded by the already unchecked League would make all former dictatorships pale in comparison. He wouldn’t forgive Diana for this. Neither would the world when it came to that, and he knew that it eventually would. 

“I’ll see you at home Vic” Diana says, trying to separate their lives into two conveinient camps. She walks towards him and leans up, pecking his cheek. “I love you Vic” she says, staying close to the man, unwilling to move until….something happened. “I love you too” Vic says, fully meaning the words but feeling that it would be the last time he ever said them to the woman before him. She smiles lightly, falling victim to hope and taking his words at face value. She turns and walks back towards the meeting room, unaware of the wheels turning in her husband’s head.

‘The kids. I have to get them away from this’ he thinks, rushing to the transporter and inputting his desired coordinates. ‘The kids. They’re the only thing that matters’.

**_Gotham City, Home of Vic and Diana Sage_ **

“Daddy what’s happening?” Seppy asks her frantic father who was darting about her room, tossing her clothes into a bag alongside her toothbrush and a few clothes. “We’re going to take a little trip sweetie. That’s all. Charlie, pack up some of your clothes buddy” he saws, looking over his shoulder at his twelve year old boy who was leaning against the door frame of his sister’s room. 

“Why?” he asks, curiously, also wanting to know the reason behind his father’s frantic state. 

Vic feels his shoulders sag at the words, knowing he would have to tell Charlie and Seppy the truth. “Because...Uncle Clark did a very bad thing and mommy is helping him keep doing bad things. We just need to get away for a little bit. A vacation. Doesn’t that sound nice? Just until daddy figures out what we’re going to do” he says, the last part being under his breath as he takes Seppy’s coat off the hook and moves over to the little girl, helping her put it on. “Make sure you grab Mini and Sir Lancelot before we go sweetie” he reminds her, gesturing towards the two stuffed animals she kept on her bed. 

“What did Uncle Clark do daddy?”

“He killed that son of a bitch Luthor” Charlie says, a self satisfied smirk on his face. “Charlie!” Vic says, chastising his son for the language he was using and the fact that he seemed to support the man of steel’s actions.

“What? You expect me to be upset? He killed Uncle Wally. He got what was coming to him” Charlie says. Vic looks at Seppy and sees the tears already welling in her eyes. “Uncle Clark killed someone?” she asks in utter shock. Vic closes his eyes and nods. “Yes sweetie. And mommy wants to help him do more. That’s why we need to get away” he explains, kissing the young girl’s forehead before getting up and moving towards Charlie. He places his hands on the boy’s shoulders and sinks to his knees. He maintains eye contact with Charlie, having taken off his mask and changed into some nondescript street clothes in anticipation of running. “Charlie, I know how much Uncle Wally meant to you. He was one of my best friends” he says, swallowing the lump that quickly forms in his throat. 

“But this is wrong pal. Heroes don’t kill. We need to play by the rules…”

“Heroes kill all the time” Charlie says, angrily moving out from under his father’s touch. “Soldiers kill. And they do so much more good. What’s the point of putting Luthor in jail when he’ll just get right out of it again?” he asks, Vic not having a good answer, or at least not a good enough answer for a righteously angry twelve year old. “I...look, Charlie, that’s just how it is. When you have the powers Uncle Clark has, you can’t play by the same rules as everyone else. You have to hold back. You, your mother and Seppy can hurt someone really bad if you don’t hold back” he says, trying to explain it to his son. 

Seppy already seemed to agree with him, a fact he was infinitely thankful for. He wasn’t thankful for her tears however, as the little girl began to sob over hearing how her Uncle had committed murder. “Uncle Clark doesn’t kill. He’s Superman. Why would he do that?”

This wasn’t easy for Vic, seeing his two children like this. ‘They shouldn’t even have to have this debate with themselves at this age. Dammit Diana, we were supposed to protect them from our world!’ he mentally fumes, placing some of the blame for this on his wife. He doesn’t say anything else as he scoops Seppy up in his arms, taking the little girl’s bag in one hand while holding her with the other. He turns back to Charlie and tries to say something else. 

“Just…please. Pack your bags Charlie. We need to go” he says, tired of the debate. He was tired. Just tired, of everything. All that mattered right now was his family, or what was left of it. At that moment, it seemed that only the little girl in his arms and the little boy in front of him were all that remained of it. 

“No. I’m staying” the boy says simply. 

“Charlie, we don’t have time for this. Come on, grab your things…”

“Mom, dad is trying to take us! Hurry quick!” Charlie screams, having taken out the emergency communicator he had in his pocket and rushing towards his room. Seppy screams as Vic places her down, taking off after his son who was much faster than he was on account of being a demigod. He manages to get into his room, slamming the door closed behind him while locking the door and barricading it. “Mom hurry, please!” Vic hears through the door, Charlie obviously having continued to call out to his mother. 

“Dammit! Charlie please, you have to understand!” he shouts, his escape having become much more desperate than he had wanted.

“No I don’t. You’re on Luthor’s side! You’re a villain. You don’t even care about what happened to Uncle Wally” the boy accuses, Vic sagging at the words. ‘How can he believe that?’ he asks himself, looking back into the hallway and seeing a still crying Seppy, holding Mini close. He closes his eyes and sighs, tears leaking down his own face as he makes one of the hardest decisions he ever had to make. “Charlie, one day, I’ll see you again. I promise. I hope by then you can understand. I love you son” he shouts, hearing no response from the other side of the door. He steels his resolve and turns toward Seppy, moving from a crouched position to a run almost instantly. 

He had to move fast.

Vic grabs Seppy, scooping her up and taking both of their suitcases in one hand, practically jumping out of the apartment and down the subsequent flight of stairs. “What about Charlie?” Seppy cries, looking back at the fading door frame of their home. “He’s gonna stay with mommy sweetie. He’ll be safe” he says, hoping that his words could placate the young girl. 

She remains silent, trusting her father’s words all the while she cries into his shoulder. He hated the world at that moment, his daughter’s tears making him feel as if the universe had betrayed them in some way. ‘I’ll make it right, somehow’ he vows to himself.

Once they are outside he brushes past a few pedestrians, thankful for the cover of rain as he moves into the complex’s garage. His car, a 1978 Ford Mustang parked right in the front where it always was. He opens the door for Seppy, placing her inside and strapping her into the seatbelt. “We’re going to go for a little drive baby” he says, closing the door and practically rolling over the hood before pulling open the driver side door and throwing himself in. He doesn’t bother with a seatbelt, simply throwing the car into reverse and peeling out of the parking lot, the wheels spinning and most certainly leaving rubber.

‘She’ll be here soon’ he thinks. They had to leave and put some distance between them and the League, especially Diana. ‘God, I’m taking her daughter’ he thinks, looking over at the little girl as he turns onto the freeway, heading towards Gotham harbor. He had already secured the ticket and the passage, though he’d conveniently made it purposefully hard to track where they were going. Blacklisted tickets, a hidden transaction. He’d taught Diana many things during their time together, but he hadn’t taught her everything. 

“You okay sweetie? You hungry? If you are we can get something to eat on the boat” he says, trying to make conversation and distract the young girl. “Boat?” she asks, the tears staining her voice. “Yeah, yeah. A big boat. Not the nicest of boats but a boat. Kind of like in King Kong. You love that movie right? Think of this as a big adventure” he says, seeing the little girl smile just a bit. If there was anything she loved, it was an adventure story. 

“Really?” she asks. 

“Uhh hmm, really” he says, turning towards the exit for the docks, seeing the ships lined up in the distance. 

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere nice, but it’s a surprise. The people waiting for us there sure will be surprised anyway” he says, half dreading and half excited by the prospect of their destination. 

“Is it nice?”

“Ohh it’s beautiful. And someone there will be very happy to see you and spend some time with you” he adds, knowing that at least that part was true. “Ohh God, please help us” he adds to himself under his breath.

**_Back at the Apartment_ **

Diana slams through the door, her eyes roving all over the apartment, looking for signs of life or struggle. Nothing seems out of place except Seppy’s door being opened. She screams, her face scrunched up in fury. “Vic!” she shouts, rushing towards the room and finding the drawers all pulled out and clothes thrown haphazardly about the room. “No” she says, her heart dropping in her chest. “Seppy! Charlie! Please, are you here?” she calls out, hearing an affirmative reply from Charlie’s room.

“In here mom!” he calls, pushing his dresser out of the way of the door and unlocking it. The boy rushes into his mother’s arms, throwing his own about her shoulders. “Charlie” she says simply, hugging her son for all he was worth. “Where’s Seppy? Where’s your father?” she asks, kneeling down by the boy who wipes a tear away. “He took her mom. I...I couldn’t do anything. He would’ve taken me too but I got away” he says, feeling slightly proud of himself despite the utter turmoil he was experiencing. ‘Dad’s gone? For how long? Seppy too? Why can’t he just….just…’

Charlie isn’t able to finish his thoughts as he breaks down into tears, his mind just wrapping around the fact that his family would never be the same. Diana holds him tightly, her own tears beginning to flow as the full impact of what had happened hits her. “Did...did daddy say anything? About where they were going? What he was doing?” she asks, watching as Charlie shook his head in the negative. “No”.

‘I need to find him’ she thinks, her rage returning at the fact that her daughter had been taken from her. It’s then that she looks up and sees something on the table. She stands, taking Charlie by the hand and leading the crying boy into the kitchen, sitting him down at the table. She looks towards the neatly folded piece of paper and sees her name written on it. 

She opens it, trepidation grasping at her heart as she begins to read.

“Diana. I need to protect our children. They’re safe. I hope it was worth it”.

She folds the last half of the note open, hearing something fall out and clatter against the floor. She reaches down, grasping the small object in her hands and gasping when she realizes what it was. 

It was Vic’s wedding band.

He hadn’t taken it off since the day they’d gotten married, and though it was hidden under his gloves he even wore it on missions. He’d told her that it was his good luck charm as “there was no other way than luck that he would’ve ever gotten her”. It made her laugh every time he said it. Now, the memory of it made her cry and the tears streaming down her face betray her. 

She wanted to be angry. She wanted to scream and curse Vic’s name, to call out to the gods and demand his death. But she couldn’t. She knew him too well. He would never do something so drastic if he didn’t believe there was a need for it. ‘Did what we do frighten him that much?’ she asks herself, doubt playing in her mind and making her second guess every decision she had made recently.

“Mom...is dad coming back?” Charlie asks, looking at his mother with an expression of utter sorrow. ‘I told dad he was like Luthor’ he thinks, knowing that those words might be the last he ever spoke to his father. “I...I said something to him. Something horrible” Charlie says, his voice beginning to crack. His mother instantly rushes forward, taking the boy in her arms. “I..I said he was a bad guy. That he was on Luthor’s side. I was so angry mom” he says, beginning to sob. “Why can’t he just see? Luthor needed to die. I don’t want him to go, not like Uncle Wally….” the boy begins but is unable to finish, breaking down into a fit of sobs even greater than the last at the memory of his uncle.

“Shhh, shhhh, it’s okay Charlie. It’s okay” Diana says, feeling that it was anything but “okay”.

“Daddy will come back. Do you understand? He isn’t gone forever. You’ll see. He just needs...time. Him and Seppy need time to understand and come to terms with what happened” she says, rubbing his back and cooing against him. The boy is inconsolable, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on him. ‘Perhap Vic was right’ she thinks, remembering her husband’s words about how the League was gone. 

“We will find them sweetheart. I promise you we will” she says, intending to meet with Superman and speak with him about the possibilities of where the Question would be hiding. She knew that trying to find him without help would be hopeless. He had too much of a head start and he knew how to cover his tracks. There was also the matter of the work that needed to be done to secure the world. No. Finding her husband and daughter would have to wait, but it would be done. 

She hoped that it wouldn’t come to that however, and she looked out of the window, up into the cloudy and overcast sky that served as an almost perfect reflection of her mood. “Hera, bring them back to me” she prays, hoping the goddess of motherhood, who’s own marriage had been so unhappy, would take pity on her and make hers work. 

  
  


**_The Eastern Aegean, two weeks later_ **

“Mister Constarios, I am telling you, there is no island within a hundred kilometers of here” the voice of the heavily accented greek fishing boat captain sounds through the fog. He looks at the man who was too busy loading the small dingy to hear him and shakes his head. “The money, is good, so I won’t ask many questions but this is dangerous no? Especially with a child?” the man says, shrugging his shoulders and leaving the issue alone.

“Thank you for your concern captain. But I know what I’m doing” Vic says, picking up Seppy, heavily wrapped in thick coats and a nautical hat given to her by a crewman on the ship. They’d spent a lot of time on the ship since it left Athen’s for the five day trip, a fair amount of coin convincing the initially hesitant captain to comply with the mysterious redheaded man’s request.  
  
“Bye captain Stanny” Seppy says, waving cutely from the dingy, her arms wrapped around the minotaur that the entire crew found so endearing. “Goodbye my little Amazon” he says, using the nickname that had stuck ever since the little girl had gotten onto the ship. It made Vic freeze in place every time he heard it but he soldiered on. Considering where they were going it was fitting.  
  


Vic finally settles into the dingy and grabs the oars, using the long wooden sticks to push off from the hull. “Thank you captain. I really appreciate this” Vic calls through the fog, stopping to reach behind him and grab the small life preserver. He quickly secures it around Seppy, wanting to ensure that his daughter was safe even for the inevitably short ride it would be. 

“I wait here for three hours” the captain calls, already losing sight of the duo in the fog. “Thank you captain” Vic calls back, rowing with all his might towards the East.

“Are we going to be coming back to the boat daddy?” Seppy asks nervously, looking out over the foggy water and undoubtedly imagining all the creatures that could be hiding in the dark water, but in reality hid only in her imagination. Vic smiles down at her, shaking his head in the negative. “Nope. We’re going someplace safe and very cool. I’ve only been there twice myself, but I think it’ll be perfect for you sweetie” he says, having his doubts on if he’d be allowed to stay on the island himself. He held back, not wanting to allow the thought of him being separated from his daughter to affect him now. ‘All that matters is her safety’ he reminds himself, thinking of nothing more than his daughter. 

“Is it really?” she asks, curiosity replacing her fear as something comes to view in the distance. “Daddy, there’s a mountain” Seppy says, standing and pointing excitedly at the a faraway peak that breaks through the fog. Vic turns his head, but is unable to see it. “I don’t see it sweetie, but I know it’s there”.

“What do you mean you can’t see it? It’s right there” she says, beginning to stand in the boat to try and point it out further to her father. He stops her though, reaching out and pushing her gently down by her shoulder. “Easy sweetie, easy. What I mean is that magic doesn’t allow me to see it, but I’m guessing that because you’re a girl and an Amazon you can” he says with a smile, continuing to row, now assured that they were on the right track. 

“Wait, we’re going to Themmyscira?” she asks, still unable to pronounce the name, no matter how many times she had been corrected. “Who’s my little super sleuth?” Vic asks teasingly, drawing a smile and a giggle from the little girl opposite him in the boat.

**_Fifteen Minutes Later_ **

The bow of the boat impacts against the wet sand, lodging itself in deeply enough that the occupants could exit without fear of losing the boat. Vic enjoys the sunlight, finding it a pleasantly different experience from the fog that had permeated their trip thus far. “We’re here sweetie” he says, helping Seppy out of the boat by picking her up and placing her on the dry sand. He quickly unbuckles her life preserver and hands her her backpack. “You can take that coat off sweetie. It’s now way too hot for it” he says, removing his own overcoat and hat, placing them on the sand before rummaging around for his notebooks and other assorted equipment.

‘I may have had to put it on hold, but my investigation into the conspiracy hasn’t ended. I wonder if I can find out more here’ he thinks, not being able to help his excitement at the possibility. He had only just begun to help Seppy unbutton her jacket when the sound of horses invade his ear. “Grandma sent out the welcoming committee” he says, smiling at Seppy, hoping that the little girl would focus on some of the positives coming out of this. 

It doesn’t work, and his daughter’s face falls, her mind inevitably focusing on the fact that her world as she knew it was gone forever. He doesn’t have a chance to speak with her, as they now find themselves surrounded by Amazons on horseback, their swords mercifully sheathed. Luckily for him, Hippolyta herself, the Queen of the Amazons, had decided to lead the charge.

The statuesque blonde dismounts her house, wearing the resplendent battle armor due to someone of her station. The smile she wears is disarming enough however, and it only grows at seeing the little girl. “Seppy!” she screams, opening her arms excitedly, letting the little girl rush towards her and jump into her arms. She wraps about the young girl, twirling her about before kneeling on the sand, a peculiar sight for the hardened Amazons around them. Vic smiles sadly, looking past the magical barrier and into the stretching sea, letting the incredible weight of all that had happened settle on his shoulders.

“Tolerated son in law” Hippolyta adds, a smirk on her face as she attempts to tease the conspiracy theorist. He doesn’t respond, continuing to look out at sea. The smile drops from the Queen’s face and she notices the absence of two members of her family. “Where are Diana and Charlie?” she asks curiously, stopping as she hears the sniffling in her arms and feels the wetness of tears against her shoulder. “Seppy?” she asks, realizing that her granddaughter is crying. The little girl doesn’t answer, just burying her face back in the Amazon’s shoulder. 

“Victor…” she starts, her voice taking on a tone of worry and fear. “What happened?”

“I...I’ll tell you all about it Hippolyta just...not in front of her. Not again” he says, gesturing towards the little girl in the woman’s arms. The Queen nods, stands and gestures towards another Amazon. “Calliope, take the princess to the baths, assist her and clothe her. Also...give her a treat. Something sweet and tasteful. Perhaps honey bread” Hippolyta says, kneeling down and rubbing her hand along the little girl’s cheek. 

The woman, also wearing armor and sporting a spear, bows, pressing her fist against her breastplate. “Yes my queen” she says, smiling as she takes the young girl’s hand, leading her away. Seppy looks back at her father, the tears streaking her face. “Daddy?” she asks, the question unspoken.

“It’s okay sweetheart. I’ll still be here. I just need to talk with grandma” he says, smiling to ensure that she went with the other Amazon. He trusted them, all of them, not with his safety but at the very least hers. They should be honored. Vic’s trust was not easily given, least of all when it came to his daughter.

He watches her back, Seppy constantly looking over her shoulder while holding the much taller woman’s hand. He waves every time, not moving from his spot while the queen looks at him questioningly. 

“I will repeat myself only once Victor. What happened?”


	2. A Trust Excercise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prophecy is revealed, forcing Vic to trust not only the words of an oracle but also the random strangers he now needs to assemble behind his daughter.

**_New York City, Two Months After the Death of Lex Luthor_ **

“That’s why I’m here today” Superman says, having paused his speech to the United Nations to peer out at the overcast sky. He’d wished it wouldn’t have rained today. He had planned the whole event differently, having it take place outside under the sun, decorated and all in all to give off a much happier tone than what was happening today. Instead, the representatives of all nations were huddled inside the drag grey building, national flags serving as the only decorations.

‘Wish we could’ve done away with those too’ he thinks, having been imploring the assembly to take up an international one world banner. ‘It would certainly make policing easier’ he adds, realizing that the audience was still waiting on his words. He clears his throat and continues.

“For too long the world has been moving from one crisis to the next, applying bandages where possible and ignoring where it’s inconvenient to do so. That used to be how things were done in the past. I’m proud to say that that era is done”. He pauses for dramatic effect, expecting applause to break out amongst the crowd. Only a few hands clap, the vast majority being either apathetic or hostile to the new regime. 

The Kryptonian sighs to himself, continuing on with the important speech regardless of the popular support, or lack of, behind it. In the end, none of them had a choice in the matter, and unfortunately neither did he. His mind rolls back to all that had been accomplished in the past two months, though his mouth and eyes are able to focus on the speech.    
  
There had been a lot of death.

Dictators strung up by the League, or fed to their own people, who tore them apart ravenously. Prisons emptied and sorted, the rehabilitated being sent home and the incurable relieved of their suffering. That had possibly been the hardest, especially for Batman. Killing the inmates at Arkham had been something discussed from the very beginning, though it had been constantly overruled by the Gotham based vigilante. Until one night when the Joker broke out.

The maniac had instantly gone about testing the resolve of the new League, and especially his favorite nemesis. He was sure it was all a gag, a joke to pass the time by. He didn’t fully believe that Superman had killed Lex Luthor. He searched all about Gotham, looking for something that would really draw attention to himself. Apparently, a local movie theater had attracted him, and after shooting numerous people waiting outside for a movie premiere, the Joker proceeded to shoot a little girl’s parents right in front of her, just as the League arrived. Batman saw everything, and something snapped in him that night.    
  


He kept punching the Joker, bashing his face into a bloody paste until there was nothing left but exposed brain matter. Clark and Diana had been there that night, and both had watched their friend snap. The dark knight brooded over the corpse of the one man who had practically ensured a tortured existence for him for years. The look in his eyes was one that neither would ever forget. 

“Arkham” the man had growled, moving off and leaving the body where it was.

The League had met at Arkham, and despite the minimalistic resistance of the staff, had killed every single patient there. Diana had personally cut Zsasz’s head from his shoulders, committing her very first murder, though it hadn’t been the last. She was in the crowd that day, listening to the the speech. The whole League was, though the term League had rapidly fallen out of date. After Superman had assumed effective control over North America, they had adopted replaced the term League with Lords after a Gotham based newspaper had coined the term. They had embraced it as more of a joke than evidence of actual intent, though it quickly suited the changing group of heroes.

‘Especially after we shut down the newspaper’ Diana thinks to herself, watching from her position at the Themiscyran ambassador’s seat, Charlie, dressed smartly in a suit, seated next to her. She knew he was bored, but Charlie was her son through and through. He knew that what was happening was important and had remained silent in the face of the numerous complaints he could have about the day. Diana smiles and reaches down, rubbing his shoulder.

“Are you okay Charlie?” she asks, drawing a quick nod of the head from him, their conversation going unnoticed. Even if it was noticed, nobody would dare speak against Wonder Woman. “Uhh hmm. I guess I just don’t understand everything” he admits sheepishly, looking back towards Superman. “That’s okay. Neither do I. The ways of man’s world are still strange and foreign, even after all these years”.

“Why don’t they support him mom?” Charlie asks suddenly, asking a question that had obviously been on his mind all night. “Why would anyone fight this? If you’re not a criminal you don’t have to worry. But I see all these people here glaring at Uncle Clark like he’s a monster. Why?”.

Diana thinks about his question, mulling it over and trying to come up with the best response to ease his mind on the issue. ‘Luckily he doesn’t doubt our cause or our goals’ she thinks, her mind going back to her missing husband and daughter and causing heartache to well up within her. She squashes it down quickly, instead focusing on her son’s query. “Because they don’t want to lose their power” she says simply, feeling her own anger building up within her as she looks over the crowd of officials. “They’ve been going to war with one another and killing their neighbors and citizens for as long as they can remember, and through it all they have always been the ones who profit. They are why the world is the way it is” she adds, her chin tilting ever so slightly upwards, giving an air of imperiousness as she does.

“Is...is dad like them?” Charlie asks, his voice tinted with his sadness. “No, no sweetie. Daddy isn’t like them” she says, placing her hand on his cheek and hugging him close. “No...daddy...daddy is an idealist. He sees the world for what it should be, and how it should be but he doesn’t want to do what is necessary because he believes it’s wrong” she explains. 

“But how can it be wrong? Especially if the world becomes safe?”

“These are such big questions for a twelve year old” Diana says, smiling as she proudly looks down at him, rubbing her fingers through his hair which matched her own dark locks. “I’m serious mom. I need to know these things, so I can help” he says, shocking her with the strength of his conviction.

“Sweetie, we’re doing this so you don’t have to” she begins to explain before he cuts her off once more. “There will ALWAYS be bad guys, and there will ALWAYS be people who need to fight them off. We need people who will do what it takes and why shouldn’t that be me? I have power, so I should use it” he says, his mind already made up and accepting of the logic he’d used to make his case.

Diana averts her eyes, wanting to convince her son to stay uninvolved. In her heart, she knew it was impossible. She hadn’t listened to her mother when the woman had told her to stay out of the affairs of man’s world during the Imperium invasion. She had flagrantly disobeyed her and come to fight the battles that needed to be fought. “Okay” she says simply, kissing her son’s forehead. “I will train you then”.

The young boy smiles and nods, finally feeling that things were going somewhere as he turns back to the speech, his mind undoubtedly fixed on the horizons, brightly shining for him now. ‘Good’ she thinks. ‘Give him something to aspire to’.

“We’ll make him see mom” he whispers suddenly, a thought that he had left unspoken reoccuring to him. “We’ll make dad see that we’re right. He’ll come back and Seppy will too. Everything is going to work” he says, all the bright eyed enthusiasm of youth telling him that their family’s story would have a fairy tale ending.

Diana nods, swallowing the lump in her throat as she gives into that most treacherous of human emotions.    
  
Hope.

**_Themiscyra_ **

“Daddy I don’t want you to go” Seppy cries, sobbing on the beach as she holds onto her father. Vic wraps his arms about her, cradling the young girl into his chest and kissing her forehead repeatedly. “I don’t want to either princess, but I have to” he says, the tears springing forward out of his own eyes as he speaks.

“Why?” Seppy wails, now dressed in clothes much more similar to the rest of the Amazons, a few of which look on them sadly. Hippolyta herself is there, averting her eyes from the scene as she looks out past the horizon. 

“Because...if I don’t, I’ll never leave, and we’ll never save the world” he says, laughing lightly to lessen the mood, backing up and brushing his thumb under the little girl’s eye, brushing her tears away. “I’m coming back sweetie. I promise” he says, causing the little girl to shake her head. “No you won’t. Superman will kill you and I’ll never see you again, just like in my nightmares”.

“No my little one” Hippolyta says, dropping to her knees and taking the robed little girl in her arms as well. “Your father is going on a very special mission. He’s going to get help and rescue people, before taking them back here to help us” she says, placating the slowly calming little girl. She had been present when the oracle’s words were spoken and as much as a little girl could, she understood. Still, none of those present on the island thought it would easy to detach Vic from the little girl. 

Over the past two months, the sight of the father and daughter had become a common one. Vic was always playing with or teaching Seppy things, and was always there to pick her up and cuddle her to him when things became difficult. The initial mistrust the Amazon’s had towards the male withered away in the face of this, and often the two found themselves escorted by a group of women, eager to watch and participate in their activities. It was a constant source of mirth mixed with irritation for Queen Hippolyta, watching her warriors go soft at the sight of a man holding a little girl.

All good things must come to an end however, and the end came in the form of the oracle Agathe, a wise older woman who was able to commune with the gods. One night, she rushed into the Queen’s chambers, babbling about a vision from Hera herself. After calming her and sitting her down, the whole tale had begun to unravel.

Vic and Seppy were sent for as the prophecy concerned them. 

**_Three Nights Prior_ **

“Hippolyta, what’s wrong?” Vic asked, holding the still sleepy Seppy in his arms, cutely rubbing her eyes. “Everything alright grandma?” she asked, reached out for the older woman, who eagerly took her out of the man’s arms. “Yes...and no. We have a prophecy” she had said to the man, gesturing for him to follow her. Vic wasted no time and was walking beside the woman, passed her guards and into the chamber where Agathe sat, her eyes laser focused on the man and the little girl in the Queen’s arms.

She jumped up, a joyous expression on her face before rushing towards the trio, taking the young girl’s face in her hands and smothering her in kisses. “You! Blessed gift from Olympus. You are our hope child. Our only hope!” she shouts, scaring Seppy and forcing Hippolyta to step back to protect the young girl from any more of the woman’s attention. 

Agathe steps forward, apparently being more thankful to finally set her eyes on Persephone than fearful of her Queen before stopping in her tracks at seeing Vic standing a few feet from her, ready to jump in and defend his daughter should anything that he was suspicious of happen. 

And the bar for Vic’s suspicion was definitely low enough to include a woman randomly kissing his daughter multiple times. 

She says nothing, her mouth opening and closing in shock. “It’s you?” she asks curiously, her eyes fixed straight on the man before her, the pieces of the puzzle seeming to click in her mind finally. “Hera said that you would come” she explains, moving forward and onto her knees, bowing before the Question as he looks on the strange woman curiously.

“Agathe, enough with these puzzles!” Hippolyta demands, suddenly angered. “You have roused me and my granddaughter at this Hades favored hour. Out with it” the woman says. “Forgive me my Queen. But this is of grave importance. The prophecy I spoke to you of? At the center is that...that” she says, pointing at Seppy, “Beautiful little girl in your arms. Nobody has been as Olympus blessed as her since the days of Perseus” she says, continuing to gush at the little girl, moving forward once more to simply place her hands on her. 

“Really?” Hippolyta says, a smile breaking onto her face as the woman’s words register in her mind. “Who’s Perseus?” Seppy asked, confused by but enjoying the attention being lavished on her. “A great hero, though you shall be even greater!” Agathe whispers, snickering as she pokes the little girl in the belly, tickling her and making her giggle. 

“Woah, woah woah. Hold on. I don’t need an oracle or a prophecy to tell me that Seppy is the most amazing little girl in the world” Vic interrupts, smiling at his daughter. “But what is all of this about prophecy?” he asks. Agathe reverently faces him, bowing once more. “I...I apologize for my excitement knight. I should take time to explain. I was just so overwhelmed by being in her presence…”

“Alright, alright, slow down again. Knight?” he asks, waving his hands, his confusion growing more and more every time the woman tries to explain herself. 

“Perhaps it’s best if you start at the beginning Agathe” Hippolyta says, placing Persephone on her bed and sitting beside her, wrapping the blankets about her little body. “Grandmaaa!” the little girl whines, though she is quieted by a gentle “shush” from her grandmother. “Themiscryan nights are very cold” she teases, pinching the little girl’s nose softly before turning back to Agathe. 

The woman bows and indeed begins her tale. “Hera came to me in a dream, and she foretold of the destruction of man. It would come from the sky, an outsider, one who was truly never of this world” she begins, Vic’s mind instantly going to Superman. One look towards Hippolyta confirms that she was thinking the same thing. “Aided by an errant daughter of Themyscira, he will raze the world of man to the ground before turning his sights on Olympus and then upon us” she finishes darkly. “The sights I saw my Queen, the horror” she says before stopping herself, remembering the presence of the little girl. She smiles once more.

“But, this will not come to pass. Hera has chosen her champion, and Zeus his, though one shall go before the other comes” she says, speaking in riddles as most prophecies are. Vic is catching on however, and it becomes clear what this is all shaping up into. “Persephone Sage, daughter of man and Amazon, has been chosen by Hera!” Agathe shouts, her hands splayed towards the sky as she jumps up and down. “Praise the gods! Praise the gods” she repeats, finally settling down with a warning glare from Hippolyta.    
  
She clears her throat and continues.    
  
“However, her way must be made ready and she must have an army behind her. An army composed of reborn Amazons” Agathe says. “That is where the champion of Zeus, a knight, comes in, for he shall go out into the world and gather these women, bringing them back to Themyscira to train beside their new Queen” she says, the last part being spoken quieter than the rest. Hippolyta’s face is as hard as stone, unreadable as the words of the oracle sink in.

“Persephone is to replace me as Queen of the Amazons?” she asks, drawling a quick nod and “yes my queen” from Agathe. All is silent as the words sink in, and Hippolyta breaks the silence with a light laugh. Her face splits into a smile and she reaches down, running her fingers through the now very interested little girl’s hair. “I don’t wanna replace grandma!” she says, sitting up in the bed and looking as if she was about to cry.

“Ohh, ohh no my princess” Agathe says, upset at having made the little girl cry. “Hippolyta is gods blessed. Undoubtedly she is being rewarded with something even greater. In fact, something within the prophecy hinted at that, but I shall leave that to be between she and I little one. Do not trouble yourself with that” Agathe comfortingly says, patting the young girl’s head. 

“So, you think I’m this champion of Zeus you saw?” Vic asks curiously, moving closer to put his own hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Yes! I foresaw it”.

“How can you tell?” Hippolyta asks curiously. “Surely there are numerous men who could be the champion of Zeus”.

Agathe shakes her head firmly. “No, it is him. The champion of Zeus must procede the champion of Hera in both time and lineage” Agathe says, causing Seppy to tilt her head back to look at her father. “What’s a lineage?” she whispers. “Uhh, basically family that came before you and stuff” he whispers back, the little girl nodding in response.    
  


“And you’re certain it’s a man?” Hippolyta asks, a hopeful tone in her voice at the prospect of the woman being wrong. “With all due respect your majesty, I know the difference between men and women” Agathe says with a chuckle. “The champion also lacked a face in the dream” she says with a shrug. Hippolyta sighs, placing her face in her palm as she does. “It’s Vic” she admits teasingly.

“What does that mean then?”

“You must go out and assemble your daughter’s army for her. Women from man’s world who will stand with her against the threat which seeks to destroy all that we are” Agathe says, a somber tone and expression playing on her face. “You must leave, and you must leave soon. Time is of the essence” Agathe says, rushing off into the darkness, undoubtedly to gather what was necessary.

“You seem to be accepting this in good stride” Hippolyta says, turning towards the man in shock about his utter silence over the matter of prophecy. “I’ve seen alot while I was with Diana. Let’s just say I don’t doubt that there are things in this world I just don’t understand” he says, reaching out and taking a yawning Persephone into his lap. 

“Hmm” Hippolyta says, rubbing the little girl’s back while her father holds her. “As I said before, I don’t need a prophecy to tell me that my daughter is special. If she’s anything like how her mother used to be she’s going to want to take the fight to them one day”. His voice is flat, the idea of having to fight his former friends and wife hurting him more than he cares to let on. “I’d rather her have some backup that’s more than just me and my knowledge of which cereals are okay to eat. I’ll do what it takes, and if that means using a prophecy to do it, I’ll do it”.

“Hmm” Hippolyta grunts again, not having the heart for conversation at this moment, instead wanting to return to the land of Morpheus with her granddaughter. “She can sleep with you tonight. I’ll take the chair” he says, moving over to the divan and draping himself across it. 

“Sleeping in the Queen’s quarters? Out of the question” Hippolyta says, much too tired to actually do anything about it. “I am the Question and if my daughter is here, so am I”.

“Hmm, very well”.

**_Back in the Present_ **

Seppy has stopped crying and now stands in front of her father, her head bowed and her demeanor one of sad and nervous trepidation. “Take Sir Lancelot with you daddy” she says, handing the stuffed knight Hippolyta had bought for her during one of Charlie’s baseball games to her father. 

“He’s a knight, and so are you. You’ll protect each other” she says, sniffling and reaching her hand up to wipe away at her eyes. Vic reaches out, taking the stuffed knight and smiling at his little girl. “Thank you princess. We’ll both be alright okay? We’re going to go get you an army” he says, while thinking, ‘whatever that means’.

“How many little girls can say their daddy got them an army?” he asks teasingly, hoping to brighten his daughter’s mood before he left. She smiles, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “What I want you to do while you wait for me” he begins, “is be a good girl for grandma, though I know you will anyways. Okay? I’m sure you two will have fun. Maybe she’ll teach how you how to use a shield or throw a javelin. Doesn’t that sound fun?”.

“Yes daddy” she says, moving in and hugging the man once more. “I love you princess. So much. I’m so sorry that the world has turned out this way, but we’re going to fix it alright?” he whispers in her ear, kissing her cheek. “It sounds good. I love you too daddy” she says, convincing Vic that he could go. 

He stands, throwing his pack over his shoulder and tightening the sling against himself. He placed his classic hat and mask in his bag, though he knew he’d have to work on locating another overcoat once he got to Gotham City. Hippolyta walks toward them, taking Seppy’s hand within her own. She stands there, silently appraising the man before her.

“Well, I was never too fond of you Vic” she begins honestly, a smile coming to her face. “You stole my daughter and broke the rules of our island time and time again. If it were any other man they would be long dead” she says, a grave expression taking over her face. “I understand. And uhh, thanks, for not killing me. And for taking care of Seppy while I’m gone” he says, feeling a deep sense of fear over the quest he was about to embark upon.

Hippolyta nods, releasing Seppy’s hand for a moment and gesturing for Calliope and Agathe to take her for the moment. The two comply, flanking the young girl and leading her back up the beach, though her head remains ever turned back over her shoulder, eyes fixed upon her father. He waves, keeping the action up until she disappears into one of the marble outbuildings. ‘God please don’t let this be the last time I see her’ Vic thinks, his eyes turning back to Hippolyta who seems at a loss for the words to say.

“I never thought I’d ever even see a man again. Nor did I ever think that my daughter would fall in love with one” she says, looking off into the distance. Vic remains silent, his mind focused on the momentous task that laid in front of him. “Despite my best efforts in trying to dislike you Victor, I will admit, with Hera and my sisters as my witness, that you are undoubtedly the best man I know” she says with a smile. 

Vic can’t help but chuckle at that. “Hippolyta, I’m the only man you know” he says in response, causing the assembled Amazons to laugh uproariously. Hippolyta herself smiles but moves forward, wrapping her arms about the man in the first hug the two had ever shared. “Be safe Vic. May all of Olympus watch you and protect you on your journey” she says. “Thank you Hippolyta. Just...tell Seppy….” Vic starts, feeling a sudden loss as to what he was going to say. “I know. I’ll tell her” she says, understanding innately what he wanted to say. 

Vic nods, looking towards the boat that he would take out to meet up with the transport that had been prepared for him. He didn’t know how Hippolyta had arranged it, but she had her ways. He was going to get to Athens and then back to Gotham, the same way he had come. He felt a serious sense of deja vu as he pushes the boat out into the calm waters. He begins rowing, his eyes focused on the island which disappears slowly into the distance as he moves further and further out. 

“Dammit. Prophecies, conspiracies and family” he says to himself, hoping that this wasn’t going to be a fools errand. Still, he was happy to be doing something, even if he wasn’t sure that whatever it is he was doing would be worth it in the end.    
  
“Dammit Diana. Why did you do this?”

But nobody answers him, nothing but the sounds of waves and seagulls in the empty sea.

**_Metropolis, Three Days Later_ **

“Where the hell is the Atomic Skull?” Shayera calls, swinging her mace down on a soldier who was attempting to fire his rifle at her as she flew over him. The man’s neck makes a sickening cracking sound as the entire upper portion of his skull caves in, his helmet having been useless in preventing such a blow.    
  
“I don’t know, but he has to be close. Waller really must wish to capture us if she has arrayed a force of this size” J’onn J’onzz says, ducking as a piece of debris flies over his head. “Can’t you see we’re trying to help you?” Shayera shouts, seeing more American soldiers pouring out of a sidestreet, a humvee joining the fray and opening up with its fifty caliber machine gun. “We’ve got a bead on her Waller. Light her up boys!” a soldier shouts, speaking into his field phone. “Dammit, how many more have to die because you won’t give up?” Shayera shouts, rushing towards the men at breakneck speed, slamming her mace into the side of the humvee and sending it sprawling before they even had a chance to get their sights on her. 

“They don’t understand, not yet Shayera!” Diana shouts, having incapacitated a few soldiers already by simple usage of her fists. She had not raised any concerns, but the one hundred eighty degree change in the combat tactics of her friends. They’d grown much more lethal, in such a short time, with Superman being no exception. 

“Well, let’s make them understand then” she shouts back, hitting a wounded man in the side of the chest as he tries to crawl from the wreck of the destroyed vehicle. Diana once more remains silent. ‘They’re working for Waller. She wants to destroy everything we’ve worked so hard for’.

There was also the fact that the woman had unleashed the Atomic Skull on the city. Hundreds were already dead. The number was unknown as their bodies had been reduced to ash. ‘No’ she thinks, resolving herself as she looks down the street, countless piles of ash scattering in the wind. Her eyes become sharpened steel, scanning the area and moving forward, slamming an overeager soldier with a bayonet into the side of a car, breaking a few of his ribs in the process. “We need to find skull, and then Waller. Let’s finish this” Diana says, turning her attention to her earpiece. “Superman, do know where the Atomic Skull is?”

“Aww, looking for me princess?” a cruel voice teases from behind her, a dark alley having previously hidden the villain. Diana was ready to retort, a reply on her lips already until she notices the body held in the man’s hand. It was a young woman, squirming to get out of the tight grasp holding her neck. “Please, help me!” she pleads, her eyes wide and her skin sallow, an obvious side effect of being near so much radioactive energy. The man’s flaming skull was a dead giveaway as to his identity. 

“Put her down Skull and…”

“And what?” he asks mockingly, a teasing lilt to his voice. “You’ll let the big blue guy smash my skull in more gently than he did the others?” he asks, his voice promising even more violence and death. Diana doesn’t argue the point, but she isn’t willing to concede that the villain was right to fear them. ‘If anything this proves that Clark is right’ she thinks, assuming a fighting stance. “Put the girl down...now!” she shouts, watching as the atomic powered villain begins to laugh. 

“I don’t think I will. You see, Waller wanted me to hurt you pesky “heroes”. Said you were getting a bit too big for your britches. Said that I’d get some time shaved off of my sentence if I drew you out and got rid of some of you. It’s now my patriotic duty to take you out and restore good old fashioned democracy...ohh what the hell. I really just wanna fuck you up” he says, lifting the woman and amping up his power, a halo of purple energy encasing his hands.

The woman screams, her skin becoming paler and paler before it loses its firmness, rapidly deteriorating and turning to dust, the woman now falling through her clothes onto the ground, a pile of ash being the only thing left of the woman aside from her clothes, which flutter harmlessly to the ground. “NOOO!” Diana shouts, rushing forward and punching the man with all her might, taking a sick satisfaction from the crunch she hears across the skull.

She keeps punching, a blind rage over taking her as the Skull feebly tries to fight back, much of his power having been expended on vaporizing so many civilians. With one final punch Diana brings him to the ground, moving behind him and drawing out her torso. She wraps it about the man’s neck, knowing it won’t do any good as you cannot choke a skull, but still using it to keep the man in place as she rains blow after blow down on the exposed cranium.

“YOU BASTARD!” she shouts, keeping up the attack as the bone begins to fracture more and more, spiderwebs appearing up and down the smooth surface until the unthinkable happens. It caves in completely, and a burst of purple energy emanates out across the block, vaporizing soldiers and cowering civilians alike. J’onn is able to quickly shield Hawkgirl, preventing the wave from killing her as well. The damage he suffers is minimal, Martian resistance being quite different from that of the average human.

Diana lets the limp body fall forward, her mind focused only on all the death and destruction that had just been dealt and for no reason other than to assuage Waller’s lust for power. She pants breathlessly, moving onto her knees and sighing, her mind reeling from the fact that she had killed. ‘He needed to die’ her mind whispers, and she feels no doubt about her purpose and her cause any longer. 

“He needed to die” she says aloud to herself, not noticing that J’onn and Hawkgirl were approaching her and could hear what she was saying to herself. “Him, Tsasz, Joker. They all needed to die” she reminds, not doubting her words for a second. It’s only when she looks up and sees her lasso disintegrating that she knows she can’t turn back. It’s gone in a second, floating through the air like the ashes of the dead citizens of Metropolis. ‘Unworthy of such a gift’ her mind whispers, already knowing why the lasso had been taken from her.

“Diana! Diana! Are you there? Can you hear me? Skull is near you” the communicator suddenly chirps, buzzing to life. Diana is slow in responding, her eyes still focused on the body of her foe, vanquished and prevented from taking any more life. “Yes Clark. I’m here. Skull is dead” she says simply, her tone strangely neutral. 

“Good job Diana. I’m handling Killer Frost and Solomon Grundy. Could use some assistance if you’re up for it” he says, severing communication and returning to his battle. “We should go” Hawkgirl says, motioning for Martian Manhunter to join her. “Diana? Are you coming?” Shayera asks, looking towards her friend.

“In a moment” she says, looking at her hands, expecting to see blood. All she sees is ash, which in this place is basically the same thing. No more words are spoken as the other two heroes fly off, leaving the Amazon with her thoughts. 

‘What have I done?’ she thinks to herself, standing and moving out into the street to further survey the damage. “What needed to be done” she affirms, looking at the clothes littering the street, proof that there had once been human beings walking about and living happily. 

There were many things that she regretted. Not stopping Vic or Seppy, leaving her mother and buying a china set. This was not one of the things she would regret. No, Diana Sage was determined to sleep and sleep well that night. 

**_Gotham City, The Wharf Bar_ **

To say that the Wharf bar had seen better days was a bit of a stretch. It really hadn’t, and not even the bodies of unconscious men was all that different from the norm. What was different were the uniforms worn by said men, and the fact that a rather curvy blonde was leaning against the bar, drinking what remained of her beer from a shattered glass. 

She was battered and bruised, her left eye sporting a nasty shiner as one of the new regime punks she’d fought had gotten off a lucky shot. The whole thing had started over a comment made towards the singer, a comment followed by an unwanted grope which in its turn was followed by a punch being thrown. Really, it was their fault if anyone wanted to place blame.

The blonde sighs, placing the mug down on the counter and letting out a light chuckle as it falls over the edge, her equilibrium and sight having been thrown off by the number of punches that rained down on her body. “You can come out” she says, her speech only slightly slurred, alcohol having a very minimal effect on her at this point. Her perception was even less affected.

“I know you’re there, standing in the dark”.

A figure emerges from the shadows, stepping over the prone figure of a knocked out Lord’s soldier, a new group of non metahumans who had enlisted to serve as the Justice Lord’s military apparatus. “I would’ve helped out, but by the time I got here you were on your last one and I wanted to see how it would end” the man says, slightly shocking the blonde as he reveals himself. “Hey! You don’t have a face” she says snickering while pointing. “How very astute” he retorts drolly, coming up beside her and reaching over the bar, taking a bottle of whiskey himself. 

He places it on the bar and reaches into his pocket, retracting the can of aerosol and moving it up towards his mask, spraying it and allowing the now translucent material to peel away from his face. He turns and smirks. “I take it back. Not very astute” he teases, pouring two shots and pushing one over to the woman. Dinah takes it, studying his face as she raises the shot glass and downs it, Vic doing the same. 

“Vic Sage. Used to be known as the Question” he says, causing the woman to nod. “Ahh, yeah. Used to be on the League right? Wonder Woman’s boy toy?”

“Husband” he corrects, not enjoying the mention of his wife at this point, and especially not liking how the blonde so casually reduced their relationship. “Whatever” she says, rolling her eyes. “Word on the street is that the Lord’s sent you on a special mission. Listen closer and you’ll find out that they’re offering good money for you and a little girl’s return” Dinah says, eyeing the man up and down as if thinking about the bounty before dismissing it with a shrug.

“Dangerous time for you to come back”.

“Dangerous yes, but necessary as well” he says. “Look, I’m not going to mince words here. It’s insane anyway but I don’t have much else to go on. There’s a prophecy, Greek gods stuff. My daughter, Persephone, is safe on Themyscira, my wife’s home. She can’t go there anymore as the Queen has used some sort of magic to keep her from...look, all that matters it’s safe” he says, already tiring of having to further sell what he had to. It had been a long journey from Themyscira and all he really wanted was to be with his daughter. ‘I’m not even sure if it’s worth leaving her for this crap’.

“Anyways, my daughter needs a new army of women with powers to train and fight beside her in a few years. Hippolyta is offering you safety and a home in return for it. What do you say?” he asks, feeling that the woman’s chances of saying yes were slim to none.

“Do you even know who I am?” she asks curiously, Vic nodding before pulling out the file he had accumulated on her in just a few hours while in Gotham. “Dinah Lance. Born in county Cork Ireland but brought here by your mother when you were two. Metahuman abilities include a sonic scream and a high level of proficiency and skill in martial arts. Trained by the vigilante known as Wildcat. Recently imprisoned by the Lords and subjected to torture before your release three days later after they realized you didn’t know anything” he says, stopping there.

“You hate the Lords, as evidenced by how you took these men out. They know about your recent activities by the way” he teases. “Helping blow up Ace chemicals, attacks on their men in the night. It’s only a matter of time before they come for you. Like it or not, you need what I’m offering as much as my daughter needs what you can teach her” he says, mentally patting himself on the back for being able to salvage the situation a bit by coming up with what he did as quickly as he could.

“So, you’re trying to make your daughter into the new Wonder Woman or something?”

“Pfft” Vic snorts. “Not at all. If it was up to me we’d be tucked away on that island forever and let the world sort itself out, but...I know my daughter. She won’t let this lie. She’s only eight right now, but in a few years time she’ll be chomping at the bit to fight for justice. I want her to be well trained when she does it and I don’t want her to go it alone” he says, stopping to look down at his empty shot glass.    
  
“She shouldn’t have to do this at all” he starts, shaking his head in disappointment. “She should still be focused on kid stuff. Being afraid of the dark and playing with dolls, not having to deal with the weight of good and evil”.

He stops to look at the woman, his eyes containing a piercing intensity. “All of us, the world? We let it get this way, and each of us owe it to her to at least help her fix it” he says, standing up and reapplying his mask. “You seem to trust me easily enough with your identity” Canary says, an unspoken question in her words.

“I’m asking you to come to an island and train a little girl for ten years on nothing more than a prophecy. I know that you’d need a reason to trust me, so consider it a show of good faith” he says. “Not to mention the fact that as soon as the Lords find out what I’m doing, and they will find out, they’ll release who I am”.

“What we’re doing” the blonde corrects, picking up her jacket and throwing it over her shoulders. “So, you’ve decided to come along?” he asks, a little shocked that it worked. “Yeah, why not? Nothing better to do” she says. “You’re looking for more though right? And they have to be women?”

“Yeah, I know. It makes it harder but Amazonian law and all that” he says, himself not liking the flagrant sexism but going along with it regardless. ‘It would make it a ton easier if I could just get Seppy to some warrior monks’ he thinks.

“Well, got a few ideas on some others that can help. Most in Gotham. If you need more than say….four or five, I’d suggest going to Amanda Waller” she says, the man raising an eyebrow under his mask. “Waller?”

“Yeah, she’s the one leading the resistance movement here in the USA, though it’s not going to last long. Maybe you can find some rats willing to jump ship” she says flippantly, a smirk playing about her lips. “Alright. I know where to find her” he says. “What? How? The Lords have been searching all over for her and haven’t gotten a whiff except for her henchmen” she says incredulously. 

“She’s in Wyoming. Compound two. It’s her third fallback point considering that her attacks on Metropolis, Gotham and Central City failed to take down a single Lord. It’s her last bastion. I know all these things” he says, receiving the blonde’s appreciation. “Huh, alright. Thank God you’re not on their side anymore then. So, what’s the plan?”

“Round up as many as you can” he says, wanting to avoid the issue of his past alliances. “I’m going to head out to meet Waller. I’ll meet you back here in two weeks” he says, throwing a cellphone and a dossier on the bar before turning and walking away. 

“Woah, woah how will I find you if things go belly up?” she asks. “I’ll find you. Don’t worry about that. Use the communicator when you’ve rounded up Huntress, Katana, Catwoman and Zatanna” he says. “Show them the contents of that file” he adds.

“Wait, how did you know I had them in….” she starts, looking away for only a second to look back up and see that the man is gone. “Typical” she says, pouring herself another glass while placing the dossier and phone in her pockets. 


End file.
